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With two wars, the financial meltdown, a fading auto industry and other challenges, the perils ahead are staggering and leave no time for dawdling in this transition period — just 77 days. But the very size of the stakes also can present and opportunity, making it easier to think outside-the-box and attempt dramatic new approaches.
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With one eye on Congress, Barack Obama warned Tuesday night that the “road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep.” But no Democrat since Lyndon Johnson has had longer coattails and none since Franklin Roosevelt has arrived at a time of such national crisis.

By winning wide — red states and blue — Obama hopes to restore, in Lincoln’s phrase, “our bonds of affection.” But the scope of his victory also empowers him to build new coalitions in Congress. And in contrast with Jimmy Carter's or Bill Clinton’s experience, Democrats promise to be receptive to the new president, after learning the hard way from their years in the minority.

With two wars, the financial meltdown, a fading auto industry and other challenges, the perils ahead are staggering and leave no time for dawdling in this transition period — just 76 days. But the very size of the stakes also can present an opportunity, making it easier to think outside the box and attempt dramatic new approaches.

“This is a perfect storm for getting big and important things done,” Tom Downey, a former Democratic congressman from New York, told Politico.

“He will be the president, and there is a strong desire that we recognize that he is the president,” said Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), a top lieutenant to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). “You have to subordinate yourself to his ability to sequence the agenda. Everyone wants to go in the White House front door on the first day, but we’ve learned that doesn’t work well.”

Yet for all his eloquence, the president-elect also can resemble a youthful bridegroom, who has chased the girl for two years and after the wedding discovers he has to live down the street from her extended family — aka Congress. Like all newlyweds, the trick is to respect your in-law's dreams while not being distracted from your own — or pecked to death.

In fact, expanded health insurance for working-class children, stem cell research and new equal-pay protections for women are all doable as openers in the first months after Obama takes office in January. Old ideas of capital budgeting — and newer ones involving public-private partnerships — are being put forward to sell a major infrastructure package that could include not just roads and bridges but new schools, community health centers, modernizing the electric grid and wider use of alternative energies.

With new jobless data due Friday, the lame-duck session this month will test the political appetite for more economic stimulus legislation beyond unemployment benefits and food stamps. The real battle will come when the House and Senate take up an omnibus appropriations bill anticipated in late January or early February — just weeks after Obama takes office. And by April or May, his new government will need to make policy decisions on Iraq and Afghanistan, before asking Congress for what could be an additional $100 billion for military operations overseas.

In the same period, if not this year, Treasury will need to tap into the second $350 billion of its financial rescue plan — forcing a debate on its direction. But the most telling decision for Obama — as evidenced by the Stark news release — could be where he finally comes down in choosing between energy policy and health care reform as his signature issue.

Former Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle, together with his former counsel Mark Childress, has begun working through health care options and coordinating discussions with lawmakers. Many Democrats would argue that the new president will be making a grave mistake if he doesn’t strike while the iron is hot. Universal coverage remains a top priority for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.), an old rival coming off her own presidential campaign, as well as for Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.), an Obama friend who recently returned to Washington.

But energy is a more naturally bipartisan, and less ideological, subject for Congress, and one where a new president could even take administrative steps through the Environmental Protection Agency, for example.

Carol Browner, who led the EPA under President Bill Clinton, and Jason Grumet, who served as an executive director for a bipartisan national commission on energy policy during Republican rule, will be among those working these issues in the coming transition period. Obama has already signaled that he sees energy policy as a potential driver for the economy once the financial crisis has lessened. And he will have options — such as child health insurance and community health centers — to show incremental progress on the health front.

I congratulate President-elect Obama. Now back to everyday reality of trying to survive in a corporate supremacy environment. Corporations have taken over the running of our city, county state and federal governments. The free market corporatism mentality of a large corporate run free market based government, government run as a business since the 1994 Republican contract with corporate America, has not only failed, but bankrupt this country and almost all the states. Free market Republicans and free market democratic ideology of government - corporate partnerships which have weakened and almost eliminated our constitutional republic of, by, and for the people must be eliminated. Government must partner only with the people. Ohio democrats and our federal elected politicians have failed to eliminate the Republican free market policies that legislated the elderly and disabled into poverty. For example, the punitive and draconian Federal Medicaid and passport Estate Recovery Acts imposed on the states. We must purge the cancerous, draconian free market corporatism ideology adopted by both parties in 1998 from both parties. We must go back to the economic system that made the USA a great economic country and that is a 'mixed economy' of regulated capitalism and public assets owned by the people. We did not regulate capitalism to punish business but to ensure a strong government of, by, and for the people. Right now a handful of real liberals and true conservatives are the only ones who believe in our almost dead constitutional republic. Can the people of this great nation unite to revive and demand the return our constitutional republic form of government?

Rep. Pete Stark is correct Healthcare is a priority. We must have a healthy workforce of all ages. Medicare for All is the cheapest way to go. Not free medicare healthcare for all. For a Medicare part D type of healthcare it will cost billions to bribe the private sector. Which brings up a few basics that must be discussed first by the American people and the press throughout the USA.

First, the draconian and , I believe, unconstitutional free market ideology of allowing the free market corporate incentive wars between the states must be stopped immediately. The federalist papers makes it clear that no wars economic or military should be allowed between the states. This will greatly help the financial status of our cities, counties and states.

Secondly, Disband the corporate run market based governments in all our states and in the federal govt. that are draining taxpayers resources. There are several other things that must be done to shore up our financial situation.

Wall street must stop looking and acting like the new center for organized crime in the 21st century. Wall street, corporate CEO's and our political parties must re-earn our respect and trust. Democrats will not be wimps in holding their politicians accountable. They are mistaken if they think otherwise.

The press has got to go back to what we the people want discussed, not spin. The press has got to start reporting on the massive corporate fraud and racqueteering in all levels of government by corporate contractors, esp., Medicare.

Let's hope that the Dems in Congress learn from this election that the American people live "in the middle" and are sick of partisan crappola and idealogues of all stripes. Whatever the future holds, the one thing it won't hold is the past. The election showed that we're ready to eschew 1950's commie hunting, 1960's druggie fears, 1970's corruption, 1980's cold-war hawking, and more recent fear-mongering and try living for the future. I pray that our future President, and the rest of Washington will address themselves to the big stuff--energy, healthcare, how America competes in world trade, and restoring America's honor in the larger world--and realize that all the rest of the nonsense they've been mucking about with are just the deck-chairs on the Titanic. They can rearrange them all they want, but if they don't fix the big holes, we're going down. Thank God for a President with a BRAIN!

November 05 2008 Presidential Campaign: "All Is Fair In Love and War" The Presidential Campaign 2008 Is Over Creating A New Beginning Obama Did It. Obama Made Change Happen. Obama Overcame The Final and Major Barrier:American Racism Posted by Gloria Keith on November 4, 2008 at 11:11pm November 04 Obama Did It Made change Happen Overcame the Final Barrier To Positive Change In America :Racism-A Major Form of Oppression Obama= Visionary, Humanitarian, President of the United States of America There are other forms of Oppression actively operating in America, 1) Adultism 2) Sexism 3) Age-ism 4) Class-ism 5) Polythe-ism, etc. Each of these forms of Oppression operate in America, now and then. In spite of what some Americans believe, Obama is a God-chosen Visionary. Obama, like each American, children of the wide-world, all humanity, is created in the image of God and possess the characteristics, the values, the qualifications, of a Gifted Child. Why doesn't each of us, Americans, children of the wide-world act upon these God-given attributes? The problem is found within our developmental stages of life. It matters what is done by the person(s) in charge of the child during the the developement. Every child developes a strengthened gift of God. For Barack Obama, his strengthened gift is humanity. Obama carries the title:Humanitarian. Obama's love of people is extensive. Of all the things that we experience with people, people are good. Obama uses his God given intelligence, which we all are born with, Obama acts upon his ability to come up with fresh, new answers. This is rational human intelligence. Obama is very strong humanitarian who, when Obama's intelligence gets interrupted by situations of stress, of painful emotion, or of pain, Obama overcome it. Any kind of physical hurt or emotional hurt interrupts Obama's plan of action, this to a greater or lesser degree. Under those situations, the information coming in from the environment, which ordinarily is handled very easily and in great volume by Obama's tremendous intelligence, doesn't get sorted out, doesn't get understood, doesn't get compared and contrasted with what Obama knows. Obama listens attentively to his innerstrengths. Obama uses his abilities to take such distress recoding apart. Obama uses his recovery abilities after hurts. Obama knows how to use his recovery mechanism as a healing process to overcome social conditioning from usually,not-understood information from a distressed experience. When Obama, a living demonstration of ability to think, finds himself thrown into repetition of hurts, acts successfully, comfortably and, usually aware in the new situation. This allows additional benefits for the people he is continually concerned about and works with, directly anf indirectly. Obama re-evaluates all the things that have puzzled him about Americans, because President elect Obama knows and is reminded that every American, man, woman, boy and girl is really a good person. And, Obama contantly creates new situations to help all American--all people. "All is fair in love and war..." During this presidential campaigning over the last 2 years, it is so identified and publicly known that Senator McCain/Palin ran their campaign on the above base, including traditional acts of oppression in every avenue. Obama/Biden based their presidetial campaigning on God-given humanitarian attributes. Because of the foundation of Obama's campaigning over the past 2 years, there was never any unconscous doubts that the foundation on truth would fail---instead the Obama Campaign succeeded and benfitted the people--Americans, specifically. "We the people of United States of America...insure domestic transquility, provide for the common defense and insure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our prosperity...do ordain and establish justice... Get Over It. Adopt these Attitudes The following are certain additional general things to learn, if you're going to be a united partner or advocate with the Obama, President-elect of the United States of America, if you're going to be a good friend/listener. I assume that you are at least considering the possibility. There are certain general hurts that Americans have suffered from the past 8+ years, yet that can also be contradicted generally . There's a certain battery of attitudes that, if you can adopt them, will make you a more effective listeners and friend than if you just sit there and clench your teeth to keep silent. These may be hard to adopt , at first, but if you even try to act as if you held these attitudes, it will help. It will bring you out of some of your own ruts, and it will make you much more attractive and appealing as a listener to the person that you are listening to. Here's some of the attitudes that we can extend toward the person that we are listening to that we will generally contradict their distresses? One of them is approval. I now look approvingly at you. Which of us ever felt very hurt while someone was approving of us. It may happen, but it's not common. Another is delight. I shall be delighted with you. Who was ever hurt while someone was delighted with them? I won't say that I won't find an instance some day, but I haven't found one yet. Take an attitude of respect. Listen as if the person's words and what they have to say and how they are feeling are worthy of full consideration. Almost all distress carries with it disrespect. Certainly all oppressions, which probably put a majority of our distress upon us, carry disrespect at their core. America, your own intelligence is quite satisfactory for guidiing your life. You're not obligated to anyone. No. Not even your own children And, as you do for your children, doing things that need to be done. I would do for America, because I want to. I didn't have to be obligated. And, I would encourage you to explore by using your knowledge and participate in the new government--led by President-elect Barack Obama. 12:49 PM November 04 Obama Did It Made change Happen Overcame the Final Barrier: Racism Obama= Visionary, Humanitarian, President of the United States of America9:44 PM